Hey guys. Well I have decided to rebuild most of my suspension before I get my motor built. I have an 89 RS with a 305 auto with an AMAZING amout of body sway. I am talking going into turns at around 7mph the body leans BAD. What would anyone suggest to be the best mod to get correct this body sway problem? I already have LCA's and an adjustable Panhard rod from Lakewood coming which I know won't help too much with body sway. Should I get some bigger sway bars, go with poly bushing all the way around, get better springs? Which would have the most affect on reducing body roll? And what type of SFC's would anyone recommend? I have read some good things about Spohn, Alston(<---the ones I am leaning towards) KB and others, but which would be better, boxed type or tubular type?Thanks for any info!

 

Anyone?

 

Not much body roll with my set-up, though lowering springs would also help.

JamesC

 

Shocks/Springs, Front/Rear Swaybars + poly bushings, subframe connectors...

 

If you dont mind a harsher ride, (IMO) springs would be the best way.

If ride is a factor, get some swaybars on poly/graphite mounts, and endlinks.

 

so springs might help the best with body sway? I don't really mind the ride, except when I am riding around with my girl trying to talk and we can hear only the road(crappy roads around here) I am eventually going to do everything, but I want my car to handle like my friends '85 T/A. It's like night and day right in each car. I think I might get endlinks just to see what they do since they aren't every expensive. thanks for the help

 

You wont notice much with just the endlinks unless your current ones are TOTALLY shot.

your friends ta has larger swaybars, and stiffer springs. So its up to you which you want first. If you can find some used sways, it will be cheaper then springs. However, IMO, springs will be better.

Also, have you done subframes yet? They should be on the list soon.

 

Well everything is on the list....it's just a matter of time and money. I was looking at subframe connectors after I get most of the rear suspension done and get a little better ride quality. I know i need them, I have BAD dash rattle that I hope they will help. What kind would you recommend? I have heard wonderful things about the Alstons and the fact that they are cheap. However, others agree that the boxed ones from Spohn that can be stitch welded to the body are better and they supposedly have a little more strength to them because of this. I"m undecided on those...as for springs, I think I am getting the Pro Kit from eibach. I know they are stiffer but hopefully they will provide me with some much needed body sway correction. Does the t/a have 36/24 sway bars? Just wondering cuz he asked me. I think I am going with 36/25 after springs.....all a matter of time.

 

for sfcs, from what I was told, boxed is better for drag, tube is better for autox/street.

dash rattle it may help, I noticed my doors closed easier, and the rear hatch rattled less. Also didnt "grunt" as much pulling in my driveway.

 

To stop the body sway.... um get uprated sway bars!

I mean it. Putting in SFCs, springs etc will change it, but from an RS you're first, easiest and cheapest mod is to change the sway bars (front and rear).

Beyond that the springs would be your next best change. The stock 3rd gen front coil spring rates are around 350lbs/in for base
cars (ie RS etc) 548 lbs/in for IROC-Z. This is quite a change, but will afect the ride. If you think that an RS is harsh/noisey then putting in uprated springs ain't gonna make it quieter.

The SFCs will reduce the body noise. Alston one's do not have the triangulation (extra piece of tubing!) that the Spohn one's do, so will not do as much to reduce body noise and increase handling.

There is a lot that you can do to a RS to improve it's handling, so just do one thing at a time and see how far you want to go. Sway-bars first. Don't go too overboard by getting the biggest, but just something reasonable as a first off as you're not trying to get a race ready machine?

Si. :lala:

 

Would going with 36mm/25mm be ok? I have heard anything bigger than this makes the rear have a mind of it's own, especially in wet weather. I'll probalby get those next anyways since they are a bit cheaper than springs for a decent set.And no, don't plan on making it a racer....not off the street anyways. Gotta be able to smash those imports though!

 

actualy sway bars will help sway, but stiffer springs are going ot be the real cure, for larger roll changes you need higher rate springs, the sway bars are more for fine tuning roll.

now, i did have alot of success with 36/24 bars and RS springs, i know run higher rate springs and 36/24, and have very very little body roll.

 

actually sway bars are designed to help prevent body roll ( or sway), being the drop on one side's springs, and rebound on the other a car experiences due to cornering forces. Stiff Springs would noticably reduce such roll, just cause they wouldn't compress as much under force, but realistically the sway bar does more to prevent it.

Unless your springs are almost unbearably still then you can still corner them enough to send them through a full compression. A sway bar on the other hand is somewhat like a torsion rod (in terms of that style of suspension) in that under load it deflects, and for lack of a better way to put it, sorta forces the spring compression to stay within a relative amount, but applying force in the opposite direction. The bigger the bar the more postive force applied against body roll.

So yeah, springs might do the trick, but for what its worth I would start with the bigger sway bars, then possibly your springs. Also its entirely possible you have some sort of suspension problem that needs to be addressed which is the cause of your excessive body roll... and my teachers would all kill me for speculating on what that could be, so Im gonna dodge that for now.

 

LOL! I think I was already sold on the idea of new sway bars, but thanks a lot for the elaborate explanation. I don't think there is any problem with my suspesion, or at least I haven't noticed one in the year and a half I have owned it. I have always thought it was just old rubber bushings and since it's a RS not much can be expected as far as performance. So I'll definitely do sways next, and hope that has a positive effect. Who would recommend Suspension Techniques? I saw they have a set for camaros for a really good price and the size I am looking for. I really don't want to have to spend close to $400 for "name brand" stuff. Any suggestions as to which ones to go with?

 

gride.

have you driven a thirdgen with super soft springs, and the largest sway bars available?

if you have, no go drive a car with reasonable sway bars, and stiff springs.

tell me how that goes for you, and which one feels better, has less roll, and is faster through corners.

 

Umm...how many miles on your car?

Why not start with simple stuff first?

Check the condition of the front suspension, inlcuding all the bushings. Tie rods, ball joints, all the will contribute to a sloppy ride.

Have you tried tightening up the preload on the steering box yet? Simple and free and usually makes a huge difference.

As for the whole spring debate....


Big bars, soft springs = smooth ride, quick response

Big bars, stiff springs = sore back...quick response...avoiding potholes...


Get the BASIC front suspension up to snuff before adding aftermarket parts. You might be surprised at the difference only that makes.

 

I have a little over 146K right now. I know my front rubber is shot and I will eventually replace it all and tighten it up. However, how do you tighten the preload on teh steering box? Better yet, what is preload on steering box? Never heard it mentioned before. Could you elaborate on that or shoot a tech article at me or something. Sorry for the ignorance, just haven't heard of it before. I'm kinda liking the idea of having softer springs with bigger bars. How much of a difference is there between the ride quality of say an IROC or RS....sadly I have only driven the RS. Oh wait.....my friends ta has about the same suspension as an IROC right? So if I get iroc springs and new/bigger sway bars, I'll keep a good deal of ride quality w/o sacrificing performance and kill the sloshing of the body? Just wondering...doesn't really matter now though, everything's on hold. A saturn decided to jump out in front of me and well.....suspension is now second on my list..

 

That really sucks dude. Couldn't have happened to any less deserving of a guy, either.

Hope you get it fixed soon man.

 

your absolutely right the difference would be night and day, but the point remains that sway bars are engineered to roduce body sway, which I geuss has to be proportional to the springs, and having extremely stiff springs with a mild sway bar, and plenty of load will cause your springs to wear much more quickly.

p.s. holy reactionary batman.

p.p.s. what kind of steering system is it?

 

What kind of steering system is what? If you are asking about my car, it's not rack-and-pinion, those came in 4th gens.